This gorgeous Wild Rice Salad is a celebration of vibrant colours and textures! Made with wild rice, pomegranate, pecans, rocket / arugula, green onions, dried cranberries and feta, dressed with a simple vinaigrette to let the salad flavours shine. A great holiday and Christmas salad – or for weekend brunch to impress!
“That was the most amazing salad I’ve ever had! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!” <– Text message from she who received a container of this. 🙂
If you’re new to wild rice – once you’ve wild riced it, you never go back.
Though the irony in all this wild rice talk is that it isn’t actually a rice. It’s a grain. I’m guessing the rice-powers-that-be decided to call this Wild Rice because it looks like rice and it’s…err…. grown in the wild? 😂
Here’s an up close and personal of the star ingredient in this dish. It’s cooked like pasta, boiled in water. But it tastes so much more exotic than normal rice. Nutty and toasty. It’s so good, you’ll be picking at it while it’s cooling – or wait, is that just me who has such a lack of self constraint?
Yes it costs more than ordinary rice. It $4.70 for 150g/5 oz which is 1 cup which is the amount required to make this salad.
It’s “exotic”! 🙂 And it’s worth it, for a celebratory salad – or a salad for a special occasion. 🙂
And yes, pomegranates are a splurge too. Let’s say it as it is – they make anything you scatter them over look gorgeous, the pops of fresh pomegranate juice from every bite can take any ordinary salad to another level, but they are not cheap. Usually $3 to $4 each here in Australia.
Worth it? For this Wild Rice Salad – YES.
I saw a video recently where a store bought pack of pomegranate seeds were tossed into a salad. We don’t have packaged pomegranates here in Australia (as far as I know), and I’m totally cool with that. Because part of the joy of indulging in pomegranate is the art of getting the seeds out.
You spank it with a wooden spoon. It is childishly satisfying. I used to do a section for an Australian recipe magazine, and for a recipe with pomegranate in it, I included instructions to “spank it firmly with a wooden spoon to remove the seeds.”
That step was edited out. Apparently, “spanking” is a no-no term for use in a G-rated recipe magazine! 😂
Wild Rice and pomegranate aside, this Wild Rice Salad is filled with all manner of deliciousness that gives it that glorious kaleidoscope of colours and textures. I’d rather not list them, prefer to show you instead:
I know it looks like there’s bugger all rocket / arugula in it, but actually, there’s quite a mound of it. I like to chop it up roughly which makes this a scoopable salad, and this reduces the considerable mound once tossed through everything else.
I made a deliberate choice to keep the dressing for this Wild Rice Salad very simple. It’s just a basic white wine vinaigrette – though you could switch the vinegar for any other clear vinegar. I like to keep the dressing simple to let the flavours of the things in the salad to shine through – especially the wild rice.
I think of this Wild Rice salad as a “special” salad, because the ingredients cost a bit more than the usual run-of-the-mill salads I share. And it’s worth it, because this IS a special salad. In both looks and flavour.
I see this on your Thanksgiving and Christmas table! 😉 – Nagi x
MORE SUMMER SALADS to take to gatherings
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Coleslaw
- Potato Salad and Lemon Potato Salad
- Pearl Couscous Salad <– personal fave!
-
Everybody’s favourite Macaroni Salad
- 12 Minute Sun Dried Tomato Couscous Salad
-
Browse all Pasta Salads and Rice Salad
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WILD RICE SALAD
Ingredients
- 150g (5oz / 1 cup) wild rice , uncooked (Note 1)
- 120g (4oz) baby rocket / arugula , roughly chopped (~2 giant handfuls)
- 1 pomegranate , seeds only (see video, Note 2)
- 100g (3.5oz) feta , preferably soft Danish, crumbled (Note 3)
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries (or similar)
- 3/4 cup roughly chopped toasted pecans
- 1 cup green onions , sliced (or chopped red onion)
Dressing:
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar (or cider vinegar, or other clear-ish vinegar)
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 garlic clove , minced
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Wild Rice
- Boil 1 litre/quart+ of water in large saucepan (no need to be exact). Add rice, lower heat so it’s simmering gently. Cover then cook for 40 minutes (Note 4), or until rice is tender but not super soft (some will burst).
- Drain then leave to steam dry and cool.
- Salad
- Shake Dressing in a jar, set aside for 15 minutes+.
- Place rocket, rice, cranberries, pecans and green onions in a bowl. Add some of the feta and pomegranate. Pour over most of the Dressing, toss gently.
- Transfer into serving bowl, top with remaining feta and pomegranate. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
LIFE OF DOZER
Beach, bush walk, dog park, marina – same, same, but different.
I made this last night – it was huge, but very well received. I also added some diced butternut pumpkin. Another pop of colour. So good!
Cooked this for Christmas lunch. Looks and tastes amazing. So easy thank you.
This was great. I purchased black rice by mistake. However it was still very tasty.
I make this all the time. I add chicken, so it’s a great summer main
This salad was a show-stopper for Thanksgiving. We’re not big arugula fans so I subbed Romaine and it was just fine. All the rest just as the recipe called for and it was twice as good as I expected it…plus super pretty on the buffet. The nutty wild rice, salty feta, sweetness of the dried cranberries, tartness of the pomegranate….such a wonderful balance of flavors. I served the dressing separately and I’m glad I did; had a little bit of left over salad which kept beautifully in the fridge for the next two days. One Thanksgiving guest declared that it was the best part of dinner! I can’t wait to make it again while pomegranates are still in season.
I made this for thanksgiving dinner and it was a hit. Thanks for sharing it. I’ll be making again for sure!
Hi Nagi,
This sounds delicious 😋 and will be making this next week for a Christmas in July party! Just wondering if the pecans can be substituted with walnuts instead?
Thanks in advance! ☺️
Another delicious recipe. Thank you! I’m in France and could easily find the ingredients (apart from wild rice), but I used black rice, and it worked great. Will definitely add to the rotation.
Amazing wild rice salad! We loved it and made it as in the recipe. I’m in the US so don’t have problems getting the ingredients. Thank you!
Woo hoo!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it Fran!! N x
Have made this many times and every time I do, I get asked for the recipe. So quick to prepare and so delish
I didn’t make the salad but will do it soon. Sounds Yummy.
I did make the Wild Rice (cooked in 1 Litre of Chicken broth) to go with my Roast Leg of Lamb. Something different. Awesome. Thank you I wasn’t sure how to cook this Rice/Grain.
Gorgeous salad made it for my kids birthday early December,it was such a hit my sister asked for it for Xmas day. Loved it
Hi, it looks like a great recipe. I want to make it for 10 people, can i just double on the ingredients?
Woolworths sometimes sell pomegranate seeds. https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/374347/pomlife-pomegranate-arils-punnet
Hi Nagi,
Which would be the best seed to substitute for pecans please? Sunflower or pumpkin (or something else)? I’d prefer to avoid nuts, if possible, but would still like the salad to have a bit of crunch. Thank you!
Hi Virginia, any would work fine here! N x
We love love love this salad and I make it all the time. It’s perfect for those extra special occasions or just a treat for a normal occasion. Leftovers are great for a day or two afterwards as well. I also use black rice just because I can’t get wild rice easily. Thanks Nagi!!
So amazingly delicious. Everyone loved it.
We all loved this recipe. I couldn’t get wild rice so substituted black rice. It was perfect.
Made this for our late family Christmas Day celebration today (plus your lemon potatoes). I used labneh instead of feta but everything else exactly as per the recipe. It was so delicious, everyone loved it. No leftovers. Thanks Nagi for inspiring recipes and Happy Christmas!
This is sooo good. This is the perfect summertime salad to bring to an Aussie bbq. I get lots of compliments each and every time. Love it! Love it! Love it! Thanks, Nagi and Dozer.
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Delicious! I made this for a Xmas lunch and followed your recipe exactly; turned out perfect and was complimented by all. Only addition was pistachios sprinkled on the top too, which are festive in colour and matched the salad well. Thank you! A big hit. Will definitely make again – perfect festive salad for hot climates.